Police, military working to secure safety of Filipinos, Japanese nationals after terror warning
The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said they are working to secure the safety of Filipinos and Japanese nationals in the country following an advisory from the Japanese Foreign Ministry that a terrorist attack may take place in six Southeast Asian countries.
On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan told its citizens in six Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, to stay away from religious facilities and crowded places due to threats of a possible attack.
The other countries are Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar.
“We confirm that the Japanese government has received information about a possible terror attack, but we cannot give you any detailed background at the moment,” a statement from the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines said Tuesday.
PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said it '' has not received any report on possible terror attacks as advised by the Japanese Foreign Ministry but this does not mean that we would lower our guard on this matter.''
He said the PNP is monitoring intelligence reports from local and foreign counterparts.
Eleazar said the police is working with the military as well as with other groups and stakeholders to ensure peace and order.
"We ensure that all citizens, Filipinos or not, as long as they are within our territory, are protected and kept safe from terrorists' threats. This is also to underscore the importance of the active participation of the populace in defeating terrorism since security is, after all, everyone's concern," Col. Ramon Zagala, AFP spokesman, said.
Zagala said the AFP always "takes seriously all received reports that pertains to security matters, especially on terrorism."
"As of now, we have not received any report. We constantly validate all reports on security matters... As per last review our threat level is moderate," he said. Robina Asido/DMS
